1. Create an obstacle course in your garden using toys, balls, hoops and cushions. This is a great way to keep your little one active, while learning spatial awareness and problem solving – building their confidence with every challenge. If you don’t have a garden, you can head down to Kingsbury Water Park.

2. Create a treasure hunt with clues to solve. Depending on their age, you can tweak the difficulty of the map or clues. You can use questions to build your child’s learning and puzzles or riddles to test your youngster’s problem solving ability. If you have more than one child, this is great for boosting communication skills and encouraging good teamwork. 

3. Make paper boats, then race them in the bathtub or go together and try it in a nearby stream. Remember to be extra careful when near water. Even the smallest puddle of water can be dangerous so don’t leave your little one alone, even for a minute. 

4. Bake or cook together. This is an excellent way of building communication skills, learning about numbers and practical skills like mixing and pouring without spillage. It’s also a great way to learn together about nutrition

5. Visit an art gallery or museum see links earlier in this newsletter. Many art galleries are free to enter and there are some excellent exhibitions that give you a great opportunity to build your child’s knowledge and feed their hungry minds. Talking about the art, the images and the colours is a great way to build communication in little ones. You can even check out the exhibitions online beforehand and see if your children can do a hunt to find the real-life exhibits.

6. Have a board game tournament. This is good for bonding as a family but also a great way to build cognitive function, patience and taking turns. For older kids, this can also improve general knowledge through trivia-style games, learning geography, history, and science by listening and answering questions. 

7. Visit a local farm or take a walk around the countryside and see what animals you can spot. It’s fun to learn about animals while you can spot them and talk about them. Smaller children can learn their names and the noises they make, while you can make a bingo card at home and get older children to mark off any they can spot. Introduce broader wildlife and animals if you need to, like birds, foxes or dogs. You may not spot everything but you can have a lot of fun while on the lookout. 

8. Create a family recipe book full of your favourite meals and treats. Draw pictures of your favourite foods and remember the ingredients. This can be a really good task for fussy eaters and It’s also a great way to learn about nutrition <Link to nutrition article> 

9. Plant seedlings together and learn about plant life cycles. This helps your child learn about science – specifically biology. You can do this in your garden and learn about how sun and water help your seedlings grow into strong plants, fruits or vegetables. If you don’t have a lot of outdoor space, you can grow them in a small yoghurt pot. You can even make some cracking cress egg heads 

10. Make homemade play dough. Playdough is great for hand-eye co-ordination and building gross motor skills for little ones. They can learn about the colours and the names of shapes as they create them using their hands. For older children, it encourages creativity and social skills as it’s a chance to be really inventive together. Can they use the dough to build a colourful castle or a pirate ship? Even if smaller children put it in their mouths, you can make sure its safe by making your own play dough  

11. Go on a walk in nature with your child and collect different items, such as leaves or rocks. Talk about the different colours, shapes, and textures. Use the things you collect to make a memory book or as materials for craft activities. 

12. Have a family photo shoot where everyone gets dressed up and poses for pictures. Let your child try on your clothes and dress up like mum and dad, or create costumes out of things around the house. Find something fluffy for a foxes tail or a shirt into a doctor’s coat. 

13. Go on a picnic. You don’t have to go far and it can be as expensive as taking a cold lunch out into the garden or a local park. Younger ones can bring their teddies while older children can bring balls, play rounders or skipping ropes.

14. Teach your kids basic coding principles using resources like ScratchJr or Hopster Coding Safari. Let’s face it, the world is never going to get less digital and building these skills from a young age could lead to great learning and employment opportunities in a fun way.  

15. Make paper airplanes and host a competition to see which design flies the furthest. Use recycled paper from junk mail or newspaper, and find out how to make a paper airplane 

16. Create a family storybook, where everyone contributes a page. Use it for your memories or go on a walk and make up some stories. Write them down when you get home and draw picture. It’s fantastic for sparking imagination and improving recall. 

17. Set up a science experiment station in your backyard and explore different concepts. Encourage your child to predict what will happen and talk about the results. You can do this using early years experiments or try out some experiments with older children 

18. Create an art gallery with your children’s drawings and paintings. Have fun creating them together and then put them up. Stick them on windows if you’re struggling for wall space.  

19. Provide your child with different materials, such as paper, paint, or markers. Encourage them to create a piece of art based on their favourite subject, such as animals or outer space. This is a great activity for children with additional needs (SEND). 

20. Build a fort and have a family sleepover in it. Do it in your garden or even in your front room. If it’s outdoors, be sure to sleep out with them and take lots of blankets to stay warm.  

21. Make your own musical instruments using household items and have a jam session. Put some rice in bottles to make maracas or a make a tissue box guitar 

22. Create some DIY sensory play. Fill containers with different materials, such as rice, sand, or water. Encourage your child to touch and explore the different textures. For older children, hide familiar objects in it and see if they can guess what they are from feeling alone. 

23. Have a dance party and learn new moves. Have a dance off with a ‘prize’. This can be as simple as a drawing or an elastic band guitar using a tissue box 

24. Create your own sports day. Have an egg and spoon race, three-legged race, or see who can throw the furthest. Make a trophy to take with you as a crafting activity and see who can win it. This is a great way of making physical activity fun and it doesn’t have to cost a penny.

There are so many cheap and entertaining ways to keep your kids engaged and learning during school holidays. Don’t be afraid to get creative, and most importantly, enjoy the time with your kids! 

Fun Summer Activities for Your Children:

1. Bike rides. Take your kids out for a fun bike ride, either near your house, or if the kids are older, take them on a bike trail. Since it’s a hot summer day, make sure to bring water!
2. Make ice cream. There isn’t a kid (or parent) in the world who would refuse ice cream on a hot summer day. This is a great kids activity in which parents can easily monitor. Here’s a great guide on creating your very own vanilla ice cream.
3. Meet friends at the local playground. Call up your friends and let the kids hang out together at a local playground.
4. Have a picnic at a local or state park. Getting kids together for a picnic at a local or state park can be a fun group activity. Just make sure to find some shade!
5. Pavement  chalk murals. Get some fun coloured chalk for your kids and you can create some really fun chalk murals and designs. Here are a few cool designs for inspiration.
6. Back garden camping. Your kids may be too small to go camping at a campsite or park, but why not start in the Back garden ?
7. Back garden  stargazing. Put out a few blankets and lie down in your Back garden , and gaze upon the stars. Show your kids how to locate Orion’s Belt and many other stars. Here’s a great stargazing guide.
8. Check out the local county fair. Most major cities will have some sort of carnival or county fair which will definitely delight your kids.
9. Kids science experiments. If your kids want to stay indoors, no problem – increase their brain power and curiosity with these awesome fun and easy science experiments for kids!
10. Local tennis camp. Tennis is one of those sports that most kids don’t get to play during the school year. But your town likely has a fun kids tennis camp that your kid can enjoy.
11. Make a kaleidoscope. This would be fun to do if it happens to rain, or even if you want something different to do with your kids! If they are the crafty type, here is a fun guide to show you how to make one!
12. Pavement  foam paint. There are other creative ways to write on your Pavement ! You and your kids can make some perfectly harmless foam paint. Click here for a creative and fun DIY foam activity to have some fun with your kids.
13. Water balloon baseball. Sometimes, combining two summer activities can make for an exciting way to play outside. Just take a whiffle ball bat and fill up some water balloons. Now, you can play baseball with a splash!
14. DIY bird feeder. This kid friendly bird feeder takes toilet paper rolls spread with peanut butter and rolled in bird seed. After hanging it on a branch, your kids can watch as the birds come get something to eat!
15. Homemade Playdough. This can be done in less than 10 minutes and is very easy to make. Check out this recipe from a fellow mother on how to make colorful playdough with your kiddos.
16. Visit your local library. The library has more than just books for children. Many of them have other activities and toys designed for each age. They also offer audiobooks and educational computer games!
17. Build a fort or tent. Take an afternoon and push your couches close together. Drape them with blankets or sheets and eat a snack or play a game under your fort or tent!
18. Play hide and seek in the dark. Mix up plain old hide and seek with hide and seek in the dark! Black out your windows and prep areas that may be hazardous. It certainly makes for great entertainment!
19. Make milk carton boats. Take an old milk carton and shape it in the fashion of a boat. You can even paint it and stick a toothpick in it with a taped flag! Test it out by putting it in water in the sink or bath. Does it float? If not, your kids can brainstorm on how to fix it.
20. Do a puzzle together. When searching for the right puzzle, look for the correct age group. There are specific difficulty levels out there! It can be a wonderful time to bond with your kids and work together to solve a puzzle.
21. Visit a splash park. Some are free and others aren’t, but this would be a fun outing for your kids! Anything with water is a score with the household. Beating the heat is possible!
22. Write in shaving cream. This may get messy, but what a fun way to write! If you’re prepared for the mess, have your kids practice their ABCs. You can go outside in the sunshine!
23. Paint rocks. Are you one with rocks everywhere in your yard or nearby? Have fun painting faces or designs on rocks with your kids. You could use these as door stoppers or paper weights!
24. Balloon tennis. Using paper plates, paint stirrers, and air-blown balloons, you can easily make this fun summer kids’ activity for the outside. You could also play this inside since you are hitting a balloon!
25. Homemade water blob. Using plastic sheeting and duct tape, you can create your very own water blob! This mom warns that there will be leaking, but that it only adds to the fun and gives it more of a splash!
26. Squirt gun water painting. With water color paper, watercolors, an easel, and a squirt gun, you can paint when you shoot! The easel is to help clip the paper while you shoot. Be careful they don’t squirt you!
27. Glow in the dark mason jar. With this how-to, you can make believe with this glow in the dark jar! You can capture fairies or even use it as a night light. The results are radiant!
28. Water bag piñata. Have a blast busting this piñata. The only exception? It’s filled with water! Let your kids have fun filling it up with water and then hitting it to feel the homemade waterfall!
29. DIY sponge balls. This is a fantastic homemade game or yard toss. Buy some fun looking sponges or use what you got! Drench them in water and soap and get ready to be soaked in the hot summer fun!
30. Paper plate horseshoes. Cutting off the outside of paper plates, have your kids paint them and toss them around a grounded paper towel roll! This is a great kids’ summer activity or game for a rainy day.
31. Plant flowers or vegetables. Use the summer to teach your kids how to plant! Plant flowers or vegetables in your flower bed or in a pot by your home. They can water it every day and watch them bloom!
32. Go to the farmer’s market. You don’t have to travel far to open up your kids’ worlds. Going to your local farmer’s market can be a fun outing as well as a way for showing them all of the different and colorful foods!
33. Dig for fossils. Parents, this will mean you’ll have to prep, but the fun your kids will have is a lasting effect. Bury different items in dirt-filled shoeboxes and have your kids discover different items!
34. Egg drop. Obtain a set of eggs you don’t mind wasting and have your kids come up with inventive ways to secure and protect and egg so that when you drop it from a window it does not break. This can include placing the egg inside a shoebox filled with foam, or any of other creative method out there.
35. Feed the ducks. There are places that either have ducks for you to feed (the zoo) or a local pond/lake. You can bring scraps of bread or buy the food these places have provided!
36. Berry picking. Now is the time to indulge in the season! From strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, to blackberries, there are places in your state that will let you pick them for free or for a small entrance fee.
37. Plant a butterfly garden. There are over 750 types of species of butterflies, and you can attract all kinds to your garden with these. A list of flowers to start out will feed the attraction, as well as having an organic one. Gardening is a great summer activity that kids can learn and enjoy from!
38. Go hiking. Pick an easy hiking trail to do with your kids first and then weekly, during the summer, you can choose a more advanced trail. Look up your local parks or trails to see what your area has to offer.
39. Visit your local lake/beach trip. Try searching for nearby lakes or beaches. Make it a day trip if you need to. It is a fun, cheap way to create summer memories with your kids. Pack a lunch and find a good spot!
40. Run in the sprinkler. This is a cool, easy way to beat the heat, especially with toddlers. Set up your hose sprinklers or installed yard sprinklers, have the kids put on swimsuits, bring towels, and turn on the water!
41. Take an early morning/late night walk. Right when you wake up, take a walk while pushing your kids, before the real heat begins. You could also do a pajama walk right before bed. Either way, you kids will be relaxed on this awesome summer activity!
42. Bean bag toss. Using a sewing machine, you can sew fabric and buy beans to make the bags. Kids will feel accomplished and appreciate the game more when they create it. Toss the bags in your Back garden  or in buckets.
43. Visit a swimming pool. Of all the places to get wet, this is the most popular. Take your kids to visit a pool and play toss in the water. Have them dive for objects or float around on noodle or tube. Swimming is the ultimate kids summer activity.
44. Go to the movies. Find a family movie to see together, one that will incorporate all ages. Getting tickets online, ahead of time, will save time and energy once you get to the theater!
45. Blow bubbles. Whether it’s with a bubble machine for $5 or a single set of bubbles to blow out of, bubbles lighten the mood and do wonders for entertainment. Younger kids will enjoy running through them or blowing them!
46. Fly a kite. Pick a clear area to run and fly a kite of your choice. Flying a kite teaches your kids patience and coordination. A plus is that they are pretty to watch high in the sky, with a bright sun, during a fun summer day!
47. Glow in the dark bowling. How do you make bowling extra fun with your kids? You make it glow in the dark. Glow sticks are the secret ingredient! Here is a brief tutorial on how to spice up your bowling experience.
48. Color changing flowers. Obtain glasses to hold one flower at a time. After pouring them half full of water, put a couple drops of different dye colors in each. Each glass should have a white flower inside. Slowly, they will begin to change!
49. Craft with pipe cleaners. By simply taking different color of pipe cleaners and fluff balls, you can create different creatures. This includes bugs, butterflies, animals, etc. Let your inventive kids take the reins on this one.
50. Make a video. Take the family video camera and have your kids video record the summer-y nature outside with commentary, conduct talk shows outside, or be actors and actresses. It can be an amusing memory to look back on one day.